


Storm, lightning  and shooting stars

by Yui_Kuromori



Series: We’re sky children, tearing the universe apart [2]
Category: Inazuma Eleven, Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin
Genre: Action/Adventure, Body Dysphoria, Endou and Kazemaru are married ok?, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda time travel?, M/M, Team's mom and dad, but not really?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-03-08 19:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18901234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yui_Kuromori/pseuds/Yui_Kuromori
Summary: Then, he freezes.The ceiling above his is unfamiliar and the room doesn’t smell like his at all, his heart trumps aggressively against his rib cage as he slowly, as if to maintain any resemblance of calmness raises his torso from the mattress and looks around.———-Or in which, the Kazemaru from the original series wakes up in Ares’ Kazemaru’s body while he was in Teikoku(set before Raimon’s match against Teikoku)IF YOU DIDN’T READ PART ONE FROM THE SERIES, A LOT OF STUFF WON’T MAKE SENSE, PLEASE READ IT!





	1. Woke up, what the Fuck.

 He wakes up to the familiar rush of energy flooding his body, in his legs, arms and lungs, the sudden urge to sprint out of bed and run around the block enough times his feet bleed. It’s not unusual, actually, it has been happening for so long now, he can’t quite remember what it was like not to feel like this. He grunts and cracks his eyes open, a searing headache pulsing behind his eye sockets, and he stares up at the ceiling and briefly wonders if Kidou would lend him some of his pain medication.

 Then, he freezes.

 The ceiling above his is unfamiliar and the room doesn’t smell like his at all, his heart trumps aggressively against his rib cage as he slowly, as if to maintain any resemblance of calmness raises his torso from the mattress and looks around.

 He recognizes his phone, charging innocently on the bedside table. The room itself is pretty simple, decorated in grays and forest greens, there’s a picture on the wall in front of the study desk, and he recalls it as one from the day they won football frontier, his eyes dart to the calendar.

 The date is all wrong.

 If he recalls it correctly he should be finishing his third year, not beginning his second one.

 He swallows down panic and bile and reaches out for his phone. Thankfully, the password is still the same he has been using ever since elementary school, and the first thing he does his to look through his contact list. His parents’ numbers are there, and so are Raimon’s original team’s ones, curiously, Fubuki, Hiroto and his friends from other adventures are missing and to be even more strange, there are Fudou’s , Sakuma’s and Genda’s numbers there, as well as the ones from the entire Teikoku team.

 He tries to recall last night, and remembers watching the stars with Endou, His beautiful, stupid boyfriend, they got lucky enough to see a meteor shower, and then suddenly, everything went black.

 “Focus Kazemaru, focus!”

 He tries Google next. As expected, Raimon’s miraculous victory at the FFI is there, but he doesn’t find anything about Aliea Gakuen, or the World Cup, for the matter. He does however learn about the exchange school program.

 He’s in Teikoku.

 He’s in Teikoku and Kageyama is his coach.

 He mutters a silent curse and tries to think clearly, he’s apparently in a timeline in which they got to live semi-normal lives without government conspiracies. Which means no Hiroto, Fubuki, Rika, Touko or Kogure whatsoever. He looks through his album pictures and notices the obvious lack of countless jackets and a breathing tube in Gouenji’s body, Kidou words his glasses in all of them and actually looked well rested, both him and Endou lack the bandages they both grew so used to.

 Their bodies were normal.

 Well, not anymore apparently, because the all too familiar urge to peel off the skin of his face from the lack of movement was still there and o fuck, they had normal bodies and it got taken away from them again. At least the others were fine.  
Endou.

 Oh God, Endou, they were together the night before, so maybe, just maybe, he was in this crazy world as well. According to Google, he went off to a small unknown school, in true Endou fashion.

 He opens his text messages and immediately texts him.

 

_K: Hey Endou!_

 

It takes a few minutes, but the answer comes.

 

_E: Hey Kaze! Just got up >-< wanna go get dinner 2night? ^^_

 

 He holds back a snort because the massage was so much like his boyfriend it almost hurts. Relief and doubt flood him, because while it showed Endou was his friend in this dimension, it didn’t answer the question of whether that was his Endou or another one.

 With a sigh, he gets up and undresses, heading straight for the shower, his body, however goes to a halt as soon as he finds himself in front of a mirror.

 His skin has no scars, no bruises or cuts and the sight of soft, unblemished skin is so odd it feels wrong. He has less muscle now as well, he wasn’t unfit, by any means, but the hard gruesome training his body demanded had carved thick hard wired muscles on his arms, legs and stomach, now, he looks more lean and delicate than he used to. There are no dark circles under his eyes, and the skin on his face glows healthily, his feel ate too soft now, the nails aren’t broken and there are a lot less calluses on them as well, he feels the pudginess of a small almost imperceptible layer of fat over his thighs. It’s not much, but his body feels completely alien to him, too soft, too slow, too weak, not at all adapted to the storm raging inside of him.

 He swallows back bile for the second time that day and rushes into the shower, scrubs his skin so hard, it turns pink and tender, his hair is longer too, he muses, as he dries of the cooling water from his flesh.

 He grabs a pair of craft scissors from his desk and gives it a quick trim. Months on the road fighting aliens taught him a few useful things.

 He walks to his closet and realizes that by that time and week day, he had spicer training. He stares almost accusingly at Teikoku’s green uniform, before sighing again.

 That wasn’t going to be good


	2. Odd stares and Dinner dates.

 The second Kazemaru steps on the field, Sakuma knows something’s wrong.  
 

His posture is different, his shoulders are mores squared and his chin is lifted up high. It’ a million times less forced and tense then it was the previous day. There’s something about his eyes too, that felt strange. Like he has seen so much more than he did yesterday, a new sense of maturity to him.

 His eyes meet the defender’s and Kazemaru offers him a small, friendly smile. That takes him back even more, because that was the first time he ever smiled since he got to Teikoku.

 - Hey Sakuma!

 There was a strange familiarity to the way he spoke his name, as if they were old friends.

 - Good morning Kazemaru. How are you feeling?

 The bluenette keeps smiling pleasantly, but there’s a slight tightness to his lips.

 - I’m fine, I guess, just excited to get to training, you know? Get my body moving.

 Sakuma raised an eyebrow at that. Kazemaru never seemed even slightly on board to teikoku’s military like training.

 - Hey! Idiots!

 Kazemaru whips his head to the voice, and presses his lips even tighter to see Fudou. Sakuma could relate to that, Fudou was a pain in the butt. It’s was understandable that Kazemaru’s unusual smile wouldn’t hold much with him around.

 - Get to training! We’re losing time!

 Kazemaru raises an eyebrow, and his lips curl into a smirk.

 - Motherhenning this early Fudou? I didn’t know your three brain cells started working before noon.

 Fudou sputters in shock and indignation and Sakuma’s eyes widen. Usually Kazemaru would just sigh and say nothing. He was the serious and professional type around them. That didn’t fit him at all.

 - Are you sure you’re ok Kazemaru? You look a bit off.

 The smirk in Kazemaru’s lips dissolves back into a tense smile.

 - I’m fine Sakuma, let’s get to training.

 

 

 After the grueling push-ups, crunches and running laps, they usually do one on ones or small specific trainings. It’s exhausting, even for old time players, and usually, they are a little more mellow and slow during said exercises.

 But then, Kazemaru is running past him, with a speed he didn’t know he had, barely even breaking a sweat, he dribbles a ball with precision and experience and there’s a light in his eyes Sakuma had never seen. A sudden wave of worry washes over him, because surely, the defender’s muscles would be hurt by all that exercise.

 - Kazemaru!

 The bluenette’s body comes to a halt, and he looks at Sakuma as if the latter had kicked his puppy. It’s almost like a kid, he thinks, whose mother called in the middle of na very important game of tag.

 - You should settle down a little. At this rate, you’ll get hurt.

 Kazemaru presses his lips in a tight line, and a shadow of sadness quickly crosses his face. So quickly Sakuma has to look twice to make sure it happened.

 - Sakuma. Trust me on this one. I know exactly where my limit is.

 Then, he turns around. And goes back to running.

 

 

 - Did you know Kazemaru can do cartwheels?

 Genda asks him quietly on the changing room, Fudou, by his side, raises a confused eyebrow.

 - Because i just learned he can.

 Fudou growls annoyedly.

 - He’s been acting weird all day long.

 Sakuma nods.  
 

\- I’ve noticed it too.

 It’s in that moment, Kazemaru chooses to walk into the changing room. He changes his clothes quickly, but oddly leaves his socks on. Then, he checks his locker, frowns for a second, and then crosses the room to reach the first aid kit.

 At that point, all three of them were watching him curiously, as he opens the kid and pulls out some cleaning spray and bandages. He peels off the socks from his feet, and they all let chocked gasps to see the skin red, irritated, and bleeding.

 Sakuma immediately looks at Kazemaru’s face, and to his surprise, he looks calm, almost as if he were used to the situation. He cleans and bandages his feet with disturbing experience, and puts his shoes back on, not even flinching, when he stands up.

 Genda coughs, and Fudou swallows nervously.

 - Hey, kazemaru.

 The goalkeeper calls, and he turns his head to look at them.

 - We’re grabbing some food after class. Wanna come?

 The bluenette smiles pleasantly, and it looks less tight.

 - Sorry guys, I’m getting some lamen with Endou tonight.

 

 

 

 His heart beats nervously, as he waits in front of the lamen shop.

 Endou had texted him, warning that he would be arriving soon, and Kazemaru resists the urge to check his hair for the millionth time that evening. Honestly, he feels like na elementary school girl on her first date.

 The brunette, true to his words, shows up a few minutes later, with his usual bright smile and colorful bandaids all over his face. It’s so familiar, Kazemaru wants to cry, hug and kiss him breathless.

 - Hey Kaze!

 Endou raises his hand for a high five, and Kazemaru honestly wants to cry, because his Endou would have hugged him, kissed his cheeks and giggled softly. God he misses him so much, and seeing him right there, in front of him, and at the same time, not at all makes him want to puke.

 He raises a trembling hand and forcefully smacks it against the goalkeeper’s.

 Then he feels it. A familiar tingling sensation, as if you have touched na electrical cord and felt the current in it. It’s not painful, just odd, and it feels like home.

 His heart beats faster, and the smallest, traitorous flecks of hope begin to burn in his chest.

 - Endou.

 He says quietly, carefully.

 - Remember that one time we went on a road trip across japan, playing against a bunch of teams from Aliea academy?

 Endou’s eyes widen a little and he leans his head forward.

 - And you left in the middle, and the next time I saw you, you were wearing a blue leotard and a purple gem necklace?

 Kazemaru holds back relieved tears and nods quickly. Endou lets out a mixture of a sob and a gasp, and wraps his arms around him.

 - It’s you! It’s really, really you! I’m so glad you’re here.

 Endou says hushedly, and Kazemaru hugs him back so tightly it hurt. They both rush into the lamen shop and sit on an private booth, so close together their hips thouch.

 - I woke up here.

 Endou says, and begins explaining, about how he googled what he missed and the new school he went to. Kazemaru quietly agreeing and telling him about Teikoku, Kageyama, everything.

 - Hiroto is alive, in this universe.

 The brunette says tiredly.

 - Our Hiroto is actually named Kiyama Tatsuya. The real Hiroto, mr. Kira’s son, is a member of his team.

 Kazemaru lets that sink in and absently orders them both their favorite lamen flavors.

 - Atsuya is alive too. Fubuki never had PTSD or Dual personality disorder.

 He nods numbly, and they press even closer together. Wrapping their arms around each other, and awkwardly thanking the waiter that brings them their dishes.

 - Is it bad that i want things to go back?

 The brunette asks in a miserable whisper?

 - Is it bad that I want everyone to be sick again? That i miss all the pain and suffering we went together? Atsuya and Hiroto? They died, Kaze, and I kinda wish they kept that way.

 Kazemaru presses a reassuring kiss on his cheek, and lets a lonely tear slide down his cheek.

 - It’s not bad. Not at all.

 They eat in a comfortable, yet somber silence, pay quickly, and leave the shop hand in hand.  

 They go to a drugstore after, and get all the bandages, heating pads, cooling packs and other supplies they know they’ll need. They stock up on Hello Kitty bandaids, painkillers and bath salts. Endou grabs a few packets of his usual fruit candy, and they leave the store with heavy bags and a lot of stares on their backs.

 Kazemaru walks Endou to the train station, and waits with him for the train to arrive. It’s dark now, and usually, by this time, they would be at Raimon’s rooftop, wrapped in blankets, listening to Hir-Tatsuya talk about the stars. Drinking Gouenji’s overheated hot chocolate and stealing sips from Aphrodi's wine. God he misses them.

 But then, Endou says his goodbyes, and presses a sweet, long kiss against his lips. Kazemaru lets a small smile escape.

 Things are bad, but With Endou there, he could get through anything.


	3. Suspections and face mask are both forms of self care

 It’s after the game against Raimon, and Kazemaru honestly wants to take after Gouenji and take a shower so hot, it peels off his skin. He feels dirty, disgusting even, from aiding Kageyama in yet another one of his schemes. Logically, he knew it was the best to do in order to get the team to grow, but it doesn’t make it any less difficult.

  
 Kageyama had been his sworn enemy for years. Someone he vowed to never forgive for his crimes. Even after the man’s mysterious death, Kazemaru held hid grudge against him deep in his heart. To be in a team with him as a coach, and even worse, to aid into one of his plans, it feels so wrong Kazemaru is honestly considering asking to be transferred.

  
 But he knows better. He knows that, now more then ever, Teikoku needs someone to push them forward, be it him or Kageyama, or in their case both of them, Kazemaru knew he couldn’t pussy out now.  
 

Seeing the new Raimon, however, had warmed his heart, the bright eyes and hopeful auras from the yellow clad team had reminded him so much of his own teammates, Kazemaru wondered if it was a requirement to have that sort of spirit to join the schools soccer team. Maybe, if he ever got to go back home, he would meets this kids again.  
 

He can actually feel the team’s burning stares on his back as he methodically wraps up and bandages his feet. The injuries has only gotten worse as time had passed, But Kazemaru actually felt like his body belonged to him now. His legs were hurting, a dull ache that he had associated with an decent night of sleep, he casually slaps an icy hot patch on his lower back and pulls his uniform shirt back down. He avoids eye contact, as he brushes his hair and puts it back up in it’s usual ponytail.  
 

\- Sakuma, stay behind, i need to talk to you on the field. Keep your soccer shoes on.

 Sakuma nods in surprise, as he sheepishly tries to hide the fact that he too was staring at the blue haired defender. They wait in uncomfortable silence until the dressing room has been emptied, and walk together to the field. Kazemaru pulls out a hair pin, and pins his bangs away from his eyes.  
 

 - Ok, i need you to jog a little ok? Like you would usually do.

 Sakuma still looks very much confused, but complies. Kazemaru wonders if it was something too uncommon for him to do that in that dimension. Maybe he and Sakuma weren’t that close? Surely they would have an at least ok relationship.  
 

Sakuma begins moving and he keeps his eyes trained on the forward’s right leg. As expected, there’s a familiar tenseness and a slight flinch when he puts weight on it.  
 

\- Ok, ok stop.  
 

He approaches a still very confused Sakuma and stops by his side. He rests his hands on the forward’s hips with a professional seriousness and ignores the embarrassed sputter the other let out.  
 

\- Put your weight on your right leg.  
 

He says, and pushes the other’s left hip down, his eyes still glued on his calf, and the back of his knee.  
 

\- Fell the muscle. See how tight it is?   
 

He takes the other’s hand and shows him where to press. Sakuma massages small circles on the muscle, and nods.  
 

\- Now try your other leg.  
 

They repeat the motion, Sakuma looking a bit less horrified of how close they were. His eyes widen surprisedly as he massages the muscle on his left  leg.  
 

\- Feel how softer and less tense it is? You’re putting too much strain in your right side. You’re actually gonna get hurt if you don’t fix this.  
 

Sakuma quietly stares at him, as if silently calling him a hypocrite. Kazemaru ignores it. He has das his fair share of ugly glares back when it all began.  
 

\- Start running laps around the field, with your left leg turned inwards, it’s gonna put more weight in it and rest the right side, also, icy-hot patches really help with the pain.  
 

Sakuma nods with a pensive look on his face.  
\- I see, thank you, Kazemaru, I appreciate it.  
 

He smiles softly and nods. Turning to leave the field.  
 

\- It’s fine, i know that you injured this leg. It’s not unusual for it to be more strained. Just, pay attention to it from now on, ok?  
 

He leaves, not noticing the shocked look on Sakuma’s face.

 

 

 - I swear to god Genda, he knows.  
 

\- It makes no sense, how would he know about it?  
 

Sakuma’s brain was almost boiling from how fast his thoughts went on. Kazemaru never showed any concern or knowledge on anatomy or physiotherapy, but now? Now, he was pretty sure the bluenette knew about the stress Kageyama’s old training regimens caused on his body, specially the forbidden hissatsu. Not only that, he gave him an perfectly acceptable solution to it.  
 

Something was definitely not right.  
 

Kazemaru, who had started following Kageyama like a lapdog, suddenly seemed almost ready to spit in the commander’s face. After the Raimon match? He looked like he was gonna honest to god puke. Sakuma didn’t know what was happening, but ever since that day in practice, Kazemaru was acting like an entirely different person.  
 

\- Ok, what changed?  
 

He asks the goalkeeper.  
 

\- He’s been getting hurt a lot lately.  
 

He nods thoughtfully, Kazemaru had showed up after practice one day and summoned an apparently infinite amount of bandages, he started training to the point of insanity, Sakuma swallows and grimaces at the image of the defender’s bloody bruised feet.  
 

\- He told me he knows his limits, but it looks like he’s not giving a shit about them.  
 

Genda hums and rests a hand on his chin.  
 

\- He’s faster too. And his stamina increased.  
 

Sakuma can see that, the almost scary ease the bluenette has when running and the inhuman speed of his steps, how he never seemed tired after training and insisted on doing more drills and exercises, it frustrated the other players, as if Kazemaru has been mocking and looking down on then, but the sheer exhaustion he showed at the end of the day made Sakuma think otherwise.  
 

 - What else? We have to be missing something.

 

Genda closes his eyes, and Sakuma can almost see the gears turning in his brain, he was a smart one, and if he had to put his money on anyone on their team figuring out what war wrong with their defender, it would be him. The goalkeeper opens his eyes, and Sakuma can see the epiphany blooming into his mind.  
 

\- He’s been texting and hanging out with Endou a lot too.  
 

That, is news.  
 

\- What?  
 

\- Yeah, you didn’t notice?  
 

Now that he thought about it, it had become a common thing, to see Kazemaru smiling softly at his phone, or making plans with Raimon’s legendary captain, blowing them off to have meals with him, or laughing quietly, only to dismiss their questions to say it was an inside joke with his ex-captain.  
 

\- Maybe he knows if something happened?  
 

Genda swallows nervously.  
 

\- Maybe we shouldn’t pry, you know? I mean, we’re not his best friends or anything.  
 

 

\- But we can still worry a bit. He’s getting hurt, acting weird, and knowing things he shouldn’t know.  
 

Genda thinks for a few more minutes.  
 

\- There is one other option.

 

 

  
 He and Endou are having a day in.

 Now listen. Kazemaru had been living in Teikoku’s dorms as any other student would, and usually, an outsider would never be allowed in. However, since he is from the exchange program, and Endou is his very famous and respected team captain, Teikoku had allowed an exception to their usually stiff rules. The death glare he had sent the headmaster might have also helped.  
 

They are sitting on Kazemaru’s bed, wearing face masks, a habit they had gotten from Aphrodi, and Endou is behind him, clumsily braiding his hair. A random soccer game is playing on TV, and they both ignore it in favor of talking about their teams. Endou tells him fondly about his new teammates, about the new training regimens and their over enthusiastic energy, he tells him about the new hissatsu he has been working on and how he has found this new bath salt that literally had saved his muscles. In turn Kazemaru complains about his own teammates, tells him about Sakuma, Genda and Fudou.  
 

\- And, i Shit you not, he turns to me and says, “Why are you limping like you got fucked in the ass?”, like, can you believe the audacity of this child? I swear to god, i was ready to punch him in his bitch ass face.  
 

Endou chuckles fondly behind him, and keeps braiding his hair into an surprisingly complex hairstyle. He had gotten good at it, Kazemaru notes as he keeps ranting about Fudou’s shanenigans, and looks over to the TV. The soccer game had been finished, and now a kid’s show was playing, about brightly colored hair basketball players, and an invisible kid that was clearly gay.

 The door bursts and Sakuma walks in.  
 

\- Hey Kazemaru, we’ve got a visitor, put on your uniform and get ready to...  
 

 Whatever else the forward was gonna say died in his throat. He looks at Endou in shock, and his eyes dart rapidly from his face, to Kazemaru’s own face, to his braided hair to Endou’s feet. His face twists in a grimace, and Kazemaru has to hold back a flinch.  
 

 Endou’s feet are about as fucked up as his. His toenails were all cracked, and the skin around his ankles were raw and pink, there were blotches of black and blue, and his pinky was immobilized by a thick bandage.  
 

\- Are those face masks?  
 

The white haired teen asks awkwardly, and Kazemaru mentally thanks him for not saying anything more than that, from the corner of his eye, he sees Endou smile, and scratch his neck sheepishly.  
 

\- Yep! They’re really soothing, you should try one!  
 

Sakuma raises na eyebrow and crosses his arms.  
 

\- Well, we have a visitor, and since Endou is here, both of you can suit up and come to the field. We’re playing some soccer today.  
 

A bright smile breaks out in Endou’s face, and Kazemaru lets out a sigh of exasperated fondness. He peels off the sheet makes from his face and rubs in the essence, because that stuff was not cheap. They both get up, and quickly change outfits for more soccer friendly ones, unfazed by Sakuma’s presence at the door ( They shared a changing room, for God’s sake).  
 

Endou’s ribs are littered with dark bruises, and Sakuma lets out a strangled noise. Kazemaru knows these marks, but it doesn’t make it any easier to look at his boyfriend and see him like that. They quickly dress up, and sot back on the bed.  
 

Endou grabs his right foot, and carefully bandages it for him while he undoes the braid and brushes and pulls his hair into a ponytail. He bandages the goalkeeper’s feet in return, as the other removes his face mask and buts his headband on. He puts na icy-hot patch on the brunette’s ribs and they both smile, satisfied, at each other.  
 

\- Wait, hold on a sec.  
 

They both turn to a gawking Sakuma, his eye is wide and he points, in na almost accusatory way at them.  
 

\- Are you two a thing?!


	4. Until my skin bleeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, i am back from the dead! Yay!  
> I’m finally on vacation, so I hope i can write more.  
> Also, Aurora’s new album “a different kind of human” is the best album of the year.  
> Also, make sure tocheck my other story https://archiveofourown.org/works/19035946/chapters/45212275  
> Have a nice reading!  
> ALSO, TRIGGER WARNING, IF YOU HAD BULIMIA OR OTHER EATING DISORDERS, THERE ARE MENTIONS OF VOMITING SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL OK.

He and Endou walk hand in hand to the field, Sakuma a few steps before them. After a hushed and very awkward explanation about their relationship, the forward just shut down a little bit, as if to process the entire situation. He didn’t say anything about their injuries, or the fact they walked so close together the whole side of their bodies touched. Kazemaru likes to consider that a win.  
  
As they approach the field, Endou hesitantly pulls a bit apart, but keeps their hands laced together.

Then, a familiar voice calls out.

\- What took you so long?

Both he and Endou freeze, and his eyes lock with Kidou’s.

His skin is pinker then he remembers it last being, no longer the sickly shade of gray they all had grown used to. His cheeks are fuller, and so are his lips, he looks like he had put on a good few pounds. He’s wearing his goggles, so Kazemaru can’t see if he has dark circles. But he already knows that the Kidou in front of them is not their Kidou. He’s too healthy, too relaxed, and it’s almost like looking at a funhouse mirror, distorted and just wrong.

Kazemaru swallows the lump on his throat, and feels Endou’s hand tighten up in his. There’s the a traitorous sting of tears in the back of his eyes, and it takes everything in his power not to cry.

\- Sakuma caught us by surprise, so it took a while for us to dress up!

He looks over at his boyfriend, and the smile on his face is tense and terribly fake. Endou has always been good at fake smiles, he supposes, and sets his mind. He has to be strong too, for the both of them. He forces his lips into what he hopes to be a taunting smile.

\- That and the fact we had to explain to a very oblivious Sakuma we’ve been a couple for months now.

Said albino blushes and stutters as if offended, and the whole Teikoku team laughs, as if they weren’t surprised at all, Kazemaru knew them enough that the comment would be enough to prevent any unwanted questioning. Kidou’s eyes are locked in his and Endou’s joined hands, and his brows are raised. He doesn’t know if he wants to laugh or cry, because that’s the exact same face their Kidou did when he found out they were dating.

\- Anyway.

Genda calls out.

\- Are we gonna play some soccer or not?

 

 

Kidou has seen his fair share of odd things in his life. Considering the fact that he played soccer in Raimon for a good month during the Football Frontier, it wasn’t all that surprising, really, the whole team just seemed to have a knack for attracting weirdness and developing shanenigans.

But Endou and Kazemaru took the cake of levels of what the actual fuckness.

First of all, they were dating. Don’t get him wrong, Kidou is actually quite happy for his friends, but apparently that was something that had been going on for months and he had no idea. Plus, the notion that Endou Mamoru of all people simply got into a relationship was extremely weird for him. Also, the aura of an old married couple the two had around them felt extremely odd.

Not only that, but Kazemaru had started worrying his teammates. So much so that Sakuma called Kidou, inviting him over. At first he had been skeptical, the strange behavior and disregard for injuries felt nothing like the Kazemaru he knew and respected, heck, he had sent the teal haired defender into Teikoku in the hopes he would be able to handle all the madness.

Seemed like he was wrong.

He shifts the weight of his body from left to right leg, and watches them both with calculating eyes.

There’s the slightest hesitation in their steps, almost as if it hurt to let their feet touch the ground. Kazemaru runs fast, faster than Kidou ever knew he could, and there’s an odd, almost desperate smile on his face as he runs after the ball. Endou is tense all over, hands twitching, muscles tightened and his fingers are wrapped in a variety of hello kitty bandaids. Sakuma had told him, in hushed whispers about their injured feet and bruised ribs.

\- Endou!

He calls out, and the goalkeeper turns to look at him, a smile that was way too big to be truthful plastered on his face.

\- Remember the promise we made? On the steel tower.

The brunet’s face twists for a second in confusion, and his smile twitches.

\- Of course i do! I’ll hold you to it!

Now, that’s na appropriate answer, to the promise they made of reaching the world together, of going all out when they eventually played against each other. But it was na empty affirmation, fit for anything that could have been said that day.

Endou had absolutely no idea of what Kidou was talking about.

He swallows and forces a nod and a small smile, and keeps watching as he and Kazemaru chase after a ball and dribble together, there’s something off, about how close they were, about how careful they were not to touch each other’s weak spots, as if it was something they were perfectly used to.

He see’s Kazemaru miss a step, and decides they had enough of soccer that day.

 

 

 

Kazemaru feels absolutely sick.

He hadn’t moved nearly enough to be functional that day. Knowing Endou, he probably got at least a few rounds of his usual tire workout routine before visiting Teikoku, so he should be more or less set for the day. But him? Kazemaru felt his stomach twist and nausea hit him, and he wants to claw at his own arms until they bleed. He wants to scream and pull all his hair out, and knows that when he does eventually speak, his words will come out jumbled, a bit t of fast.

Endou’s hand tightens the hold in his own, as they all walk together to the small, cozy restaurant close to Teikoku. Genda had suggested they went together for dinner, and neither him or his boyfriend had come up with an excuse good enough not to go. Kidou walks a bit to the side, and Sakuma, Genda and Fudou are a few steps ahead.

\- How has Kageyama been treating you?

He has to take a deep breath and pronounce his words carefully, they still come out wat too fast, but at least they are understandable.

\- It’s been fine, I guess, it takes a while to sort out what i plan on following or not, but i got used to it.

Endou’s grip on his hand becomes tighter in reassurance, and Kidou raises an eyebrow, then nods in understanding. It’s nice he guesses, even if this Kidou is much more distant, and a little harder to read. They get closer and closer to the restaurant, and he’s not looking forward to it.

They get in and sit down, again, he and Endou sit so close together their hips touch. Sakuma and Genda talk to Kidou about their classes, their teachers, and whatever new gossip the Teikoku students have to offer, for a moment, he can almost see Aphrodi and Hiroto, or Tatsuya, he supposes, talking happily about their magazines. Fudou’s small sarcastic comments remind him of Gouenji or Fubuki and his heart aches a little.

When they pic up their menus, his eyes immediately meet Endou’s. When they don’t have enough training, they usually share a dish. It’s easier for both of them and nicer to their pockets, but one odd look from Kidou is enough to stop them from doing that. They have been acting weird already, he guesses, last thing they need is everyone being even more worried.

So he orders the smallest thing he can find. Endou does the same, and for a split second, they share a look of despair. Endou tries to smile, talks to the others as if nothing was wrong. Kazemaru has to resist the urge to pull out a notepad and write instead of talking, and actually spits out jumbled sentences. He thinks Fudou was gonna taunt him about it, but one ugly glare from Endou is enough to shut him up.

He breathes trough his nose, and forcefully swallows down more bits of food than he was made to take, his stomach protesting as he tries to wash the taste of it with water.Endou downs his food as if it were liquid, and his smile is so tight, it looks like his face is gonna tear open. Under the table, they clutch their hands together for support.

They talk and talk and talk, and Kazemaru’s tongue feels numb in his mouth, it takes everything in his power not to scream and cry, jump up from his seat and run to the closest field he could find. He twists bits of his hair anxiously, and bumps his knee against the table. Kidou’s gaze pokes holes on him, and he’s almost sure he can see his crimson eyes under those cursed goggle lenses. ( their Kidou doesn’t wear goggles out of matches, his brain supplies, they hurt him, this Kidou is not in pain at all).

The walk back to the dorm is a relief, it starts slow, tortuous, and Endou’s hands are closed into fists, Kazemaru knows there will be ugly bloody marks on his palms later. Then, the brunet smiles, taps him in the shoulder, and calls out playfully.

\- Tag! You are it!

And runs. Kazemaru immediately turns to Kidou, and laughs at the shocked expression on his face, before the genius playmaker sighs in exasperation, and starts running as well.

They run, and run, and his legs burn pleasantly, He loves his boyfriend so much, for knowing that was exactly what he needed. His lungs hurt and he laughs, runs, his feet are bleeding again and he doesn’t care, there’s wind! Wind everywhere hugging him like a mother would hug her child, and Endou is laughing, and Sakuma is asking questions, and he doesn’t care! And his feet are bleeding and his eyes are stinging from the wind and he loves Endou so much. He’s so so grateful to have such a wonderful boyfriend like him.  
They run and run and run, and Kazemaru wonders if they are going crazy, because that’s the first good race that he had ever since this whole mess started, and he doesn’t know whether he’s laughing or crying anymore.

Back in the dorms, he’s grateful for having such and understanding boyfriend, as Endou holds his hair away from his face while he vomits his guts out.

 

 


	5. Meet me where the sunset is

They meet at the steel tower.

It’s odd, he thinks, that Kidou had all summoned them via text a few days prior, in a last minute created group chat with explicit orders to meet him at that location and not to tell a thing to Endou and Kazemaru. By his side, Someoka grumbles annoyedly, about how late Kidou is. Kabeyama and Domon play games in their phones and Ichinose chews his nails rather ungracefully. The girls talk lowly enough he can’t quite understand their words, and he knows, they are all anxious.

He takes a sip of his Ice cold cola, and offers Someoka the can, the pink haired teen nods in appreciation, and finishes it in one big swig.

\- Sorry to keep you waiting.

Raimon’s genius playmaker calls out to them. The girls stop talking, Someoka straightens up, Domon and Kabeyama pocket their phones and Ichinose’s fingers fall from his mouth. Kidou has a serious look on his face that can only mean trouble or murder, whichever comes easier.

\- I understand it was rather out of character for me to call you all so suddenly, but we all need to talk.

Natsumi raises an eyebrow, rests her hands on her hips.

\- Talk about what?

\- Endou and Kazemaru.

That seems to be enough to catch everybody’s interest, and Gouenji’s suddenly feels an uncomfortable lump in his throat.

\- They are acting weird.

By the corner of his eye, he sees Kabeyama’s eyes widen, the girls are all looking at each other and Aki, who followed Endou to whatever school he went to, seemed to have a flash on understanding in her gaze, she squared her tiny shoulders a bit and spoke up.

\- I noticed Endou-kun practicing a lot more lately. At first I thought it was because he was frustrated you guys lost against Spain, but...

She looks down in frustration.

\- He’s hurting himself, isn’t he?

Kidou finishes and she nods.

\- He hasn’t been eating well, he always looks stressed, his body is a wreck and honestly, I don’t think he’s getting that much sleep either. The only thing I see him consume this days is black tea and hard candy.

Gouenji swallows the lump in his throat. It’s hard to think of Endou as anything less than the happy go lucky guy he met all those months ago,and he feels bad to think of him getting hurt.  
\- Kazemaru’s the same.

Kabeyama is one step away from bawling now, and Haruna covers her both with her hands.

\- Also, Gouenji? Remember the promise we made here?

The question confuses him, but he nods in affirmation all together.

\- Well, Endou doesn’t.

That startles him. By his side, Someoka spits the remains of his cola.

\- But Endou never forgets promises.

Kidou nods solemnly, and Gouenji’s head spins, that was months ago, sure, but Endou always called back to it, held it dear in his heart, it was so weird, so out of character for him to simply not remember it.

\- Aki, what do you mean he has been getting hurt?

Ichinose questions and they all turn to the green haired girl, she looks down and fidgets with her hands.

\- His hands are all red and raw from how much he has been training with the tires. And his feet are all purple and bruised and bleeding because he runs so much. Also, when there’s a storm he just disappears? It makes no sense.

A wave of nausea hits him, as he imagines his friends, all battered and bruised and bleeding in pain. He thinks of them starved and sleepless, like both Aki and Kidou made it sound, and he’s not sure he can take it.

\- Did you know they are dating?

Natsumi sputters And Domon chokes a bit, and Gouenji has to stop himself from laughing.

\- Finally!

Ichinose cheers, and Kidou lets out a nervous chuckle

\- Actually, they have been together for months now. We just didn’t notice, I guess.

That, actually surprises him, and he tries to think back to any moment where any of them showed signs of being together. Sure, they were close, and maybe a little touchy too? It kinda made sense, if he really thought about it.

\- I don’t know, maybe they are possessed?

Someoka suggests, and Gouenji’s not sure if he’s joking or not, Kabeyama’s officially out of it, and Domon seemed to have shut down a few moments ago.

\- We went out to eat the other day.

The attention goes back to Kidou. He rubs his temples and for a second, Gouenji can see blood red eyes behind his googles.

\- They ate so little, and it looked like they were gonna vomit. And They were both super tense. Kazemaru was talking super fast too.

Kidou leans his body against a tree, and his eyes focus on the tire Endou had hung there all those months ago.

\- Then, when we left, for some reason Endou decided we were gonna play tag.

He lets out a small laugh at that, typical Endou, he thinks.

\- They were running, and i knew that their feet were hurt, but they just didn’t stop. And Kazemaru was so fast, like, I couldn’t even see him move. And they were laughing and I swear to God, they looked absolutely insane.

The air is heavy with tension, Haruna looks like she’s about to cry. Natsumi is frowning and Aki just looks tired. Kabeyama has tears eyes and I Domon and Ichinose can barely look up. Gouenji wants to scream, wants to punch something, wants to call their friends and make them talk until they understand exactly what’s going on.

Kidou speaks, and his voice is so tiny. He looks defeated.

\- They didn’t even look like our friends anymore.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Please do comment, I always appreciate suggestions, opinions or even just a simple hello.  
> Love, Yui ^^


End file.
